Epilogue
by Better Known As Anonymous
Summary: Some stories don't end even if those involved wish that they would. Follow Sesshomaru and an assortment of "friends" as they navigate marriage, loss, and being mythical creatures in modern world. A story told in drabbles.[SxOC, Post Canon]
1. Not Really an Introduction

**A/N:** Behold! I have returned from the dark pits that I call my life. I could give a long explanation of what happened, why I deleted my other stories after not updating them for years, but really there is not much to say. I didn't like the way I was writing. I was forcing myself to write in a way that doesn't work for me. So I'm starting over. With drabbles. Let's see how this goes.

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As the priest droned on with his various blessings, Sesshomaru stole a quick glance at his bride. Her storm grey eyes were trained on the floor like a proper bride's should be. Upon further inspection he could see the slight down turn of her lips and the clenching of her fists on her lap. She was not looking forward to this, not that Sesshomaru could blame her. He wasn't particularly happy himself but if he could live without an arm for almost a year, he can deal with being married.

Now dear reader, you have questions. You are wondering how _Sesshomaru_ of all creatures ended up wedded to anyone. If you gathered the courage to ask, he would tell you how it all began. How long before he was conceived, the universe decided that he would be the butt of one big cosmic joke. One where he would have to suffer through a long list of ridiculous situations before he even reached three millennia.

But, that is not where you want him to begin. You want him to tell you how he and his currently surly mate met. You want the full story, sordid details and all.

Unfortunately dear reader there is no story to tell. On his 1,000th year, he gets a letter from the Council. It states that if he wasn't mated by the end of the season, his title was forfeited, as per a law his batshit crazy ancestor enacted. He no longer had a title per se; the age of the war lords have long since passed. But we he did have was a lucrative communication firm. A firm which the Council had multiple shares in. They back out, his firm goes under, taking the inheritance that he invested into it with it.

So of course, he refused to let that happen and neither would his mother apparently, as he got a text about 15 minutes of receiving the letter saying only: 'I handled it'. The next thing he knew, he was scheduled for an omiai with the Dog Clan of the East, where the former general presented his daughter Akisame, the Bronze Fang. A few weeks after that was the wedding day.

Which brings us back to the present.

The priest continued to pour wishes of longevity, prosperity, and litters of children. It took everything in his power not to melt the fool with his claws. This was taking too long. It was giving him time to think, time to regret. There was no time to dwell. Only time to move forward.

He only knows how to move forward.

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 **A/N:** And so it begins. If it tickles your fancy, leave a comment. Peace and blessings to you all.


	2. Wedding Night

**A/N:** Two chapter in two days? On a roll here.

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"Don't you dare touch me."

Her tone was venomous and had he been a lesser being, he would have shrinked back. But Sesshomaru was Sesshomaru and he never shied from anything. He just snorted and moved to unzip his suitcase.

"Your fears are unfounded," he said causally.

It was true. Sesshomaru had no intention of bedding her on their wedding night, the night after that, or ever if we're being honest. In the Feudal Era they called him defective. In the Modern Age they call him asexual. He simply states that he could not be bothered.

Pulling out his pajamas and toiletries, Sesshomaru headed to the bathroom. Akisame watched him cautiously from her perch on the bed. He continued to ignore her as he walked in and flipped the light switch. Without turning around, he muttered an impassive 'I'll take the couch' and closed the door.

And that was the start of their honeymoon.


	3. Benten Benten

_Benten, Benten, grace me with your beauty. I will wait by the sea, early in the morning. Sing me a song, sing me a song. I will wait by the sea, early in the morning,_

Akisame toyed with the sand. Her mother used to sing that song to her while she combed her hair. Half joke, half praise. Long before she was the Bronze Fang, she was Benten, the Beauty.

But what was she now?

Now she was the mate of one of the greatest yokai to ever live. Now she was Sesshomaru's Mate. Akisame glared at the turquoise waves. After centuries of being what everyone wanted her to be, she wanted to be herself. Not a doll, not a weapon, definitely not a sacrifice.

But Akisame did not live a life of many choices. She had no choice in being Benten, because her mother dressed her and did her hair. She had no choice in being the Bronze Fang because all her brothers and male cousins had died young, so someone had to carry the torch. And now she had no choice but to become Sesshomaru's Mate because if she wasn't, her family would fall into deeper ruin.

Ah, there it was. Resignation. Her oldest companion.

Akisame stood up and brushed the sand off of her bottom. There was no use dwelling on the what-ifs. She had a job to do: be a mate. While she didn't really know what that meant, she would excel at it as she did everything else. Besides, she was in Tahiti for crying out loud. She might be here with someone she would rather stab than kiss but that doesn't mean she shouldn't enjoy it. That in mind she waved down a boat to take her back to the bungalow. She has never backed down from a challenge and she won't start now.

 _Benten, Benten, grace me with your wisdom. I will wait by the sea, early in the morning._

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*Benten is the goddess of wisdom, songs, poetry, beauty, knowledge, and water.

 **A/N:** As always, leave a review if you are so inclined. I can't promise that I will update like this all the time, but I have 2 more days off so I will try to keep the ball rolling.


	4. Bow Chicka No No

A/N: *DJ Khaled Voice* And another one...

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Sesshomaru has been woken up by his fair share of shit in his day. Once his father woke him up with a flying kick to the face in an effort to hone his reflexes. Another time he was woken up by his drunk mother vomiting on his bed. And of course there was the time he was healing from a direct hit from the Wind Scar and Rin poured water on him (the scoundrel). But nothing irritated him as much as this request from his new mate.

"No," he said flatly.

"Sesshomaru, we go back to Japan in a few days. I need to be carrying your scent. I need your mark."

Her tone was bland and she toyed with her black hair absentmindedly. If anyone were to walk in they would assume that she was talking about the weather. Yet, her relaxed posture did nothing to ease his disdain.

"I am not sleeping with you, wench."

Akisame rolled her eyes. "Okay, first off if you want to call me names, at least use one from this century. Second, it's not like I'm panting for you either. I just refused to be bombarded with questions as to why I am not marked after spending a week alone with you."

"So mark me. Unless..." she continued conspiratorially. "...you want people to think you're impotent."

Sesshomaru snorted for the second time in a week, a personal record.

"I do not care about other's opinions of me. Also my impotency has been fodder for the rumor mill for centuries. Granted, it's a result of ignorance rather than fact…"

"Oh?"

"Don't get your hopes up. I am not sexually attracted to anyone. So you can give up on any plans of seduction now."

The female gave pause.

"Wait, you mean like, no one?"

Sesshomaru nodded his head once.

"Oh wow." Akisame's brow furrowed a bit. "That's actually a bit of a waste."

It was Sesshomaru's turn to roll his eyes. If he had a yen for every time he heard that one, he wouldn't have to worry about the Council in the first place. Deciding that today was not the day to school the woman on what **not** to say to an asexual person, he went to flag down a boat to bring breakfast.

"It still doesn't solve the problem," he heard her call from inside.

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes again (twice in one day, the world is ending).

"If it means so much to you, I'll just bite you and inject some yoki. You'll do the same. Isn't that what a mating mark is in essence anyway?"

Sesshomaru smirked as he heard a acknowledging grunt and nothing more.

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A/N: Once again loves, leave a comment if you are so inclined. They help me stay motivated.


	5. Home Sweet Home

He watched absently as she explored her surroundings. There wasn't much to see if you asked him. It was a minka well into mountains of Mihama. It was spacious, but not expansive. Not like the manors they were both accustomed to. But it had a view of the bay and it was close enough to civilization where he could get supplies yet far away enough he could walk around unhidden. All in all, it was a haven. A sanctuary of solitude.

"Which room is mine?" the female called from upstairs.

Well it used to be.

Sesshomaru frowned. How he was he supposed to live with this woman again? He barely tolerated the people he knew for centuries. How was he supposed to live with a stranger?

"Fine, don't answer me. I'll just take the biggest one."

An eyebrow twitched. Tea, Sesshomaru needed tea.

"And why is everything so _white_? Did the hospital decorate this place? Actually I'm sorry, a hospital couldn't have done this. They would have added a little more personality."

Scratch that, Sesshomaru needed sake and lots of it.

The honeymoon was officially over.

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 **A/N:** Sorry I meant to get this out on Wednesday before I went back to work but I fell asleep at 10 like a grandma. In any case please review and follow if you're so inclined. Peace and blessings xx


	6. A Haunting

He had never been so relieved to receive a call from Kita-sensei in his life. Well, semi-relieved. Either way it would get him out of the house and away from _her._

Due to him working from home most of the time and her not knowing the area well, he was stuck in the house with Akisame for weeks. It wasn't so much what she was doing that annoyed him. She cooked, she cleaned, made light conversation when necessary. Always knocked before entering his office, never lingering too long where she was not needed. She was the ideal mate in that regard.

But aside from that, she wasn't _present_. She joked about redecorating the whole house but he has yet to see any of her personal things around the home. Not even in the bathroom. If she touched anything, she placed it back exactly as she found it, even if it was askew in the first place. And nothing in her expressions were genuine.

Oh she smiles and frowns and the like. But her emotions were like a photo. Memories frozen in time, but never really felt. It was like living with ghost. He hated ghosts. It was either he lived completely alone or he lived with an actual person. There was no in-between.

So it took little persuasion to get him to take an almost 2 hour drive to Kyoto. He'd rather deal with InuYasha's problems than being haunted by his mate any day.

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A/N: Another chapter because I haven't posted in days. Read and enjoy.


	7. Visiting the Edge

"Go away."

He heard shuffling in the kitchen and knew he was being ignored. Good. Maybe the bastard will make his "inspection" and leave without further comment. But then he heard the fridge open and smelled some onion and knew he was not getting off that easy.

"Damn it, I said go away!"

What happened to the good ol' days? The days where they hated each other? Where was the heartless Sesshomaru? He missed him. That Sesshomaru was simple. Sure, that Sesshomaru once melted through his gut with Dokkasō, but he was easier to deal with than fucking Mother Hen Sesshomaru. That guy was a pain in the ass. All the overbearing protection, none of the warmth or emotional intelligence. Pain in the _ass_.

Maybe 20 minutes later, a plate was set before him on the coffee table. In defiance, Inuyasha wrapped himself tighter in his blanket and balled up more on the couch. He would not be enticed by food like he was some sort of dog. Even if it was pork belly. Sweet, succulent, fatty…

Stop it!

It didn't help that he could hear Sesshomaru eating his portion. This sucks. This is torture. The sadistic bastard hasn't changed at all.

But at least it was quiet. It seemed like Sesshomaru was just there to offer his off-brand form of comfort, food and presence. Maybe he could get out of this easily.

"Why haven't you gone to see Kita-sensei in 3 weeks?"

Or not.

Inuyasha did nothing to conceal his growl. They had this conversation before. He would go see his therapist when he _felt_ like seeing his therapist. And lately he didn't want to talk to Kita's wrinkly ass about the same shit.

Yes, he still mourned his family. Yes, it kind of made him want to die. No, he didn't really care to get better.

"You are going to end up back in the hospital if you continue this way."

InuYasha poked his head from under the blanket to glare at the older yokai sitting across the room.

"We agreed to never talk about that," he muttered darkly.

"About what? The fact you downed half a bottle of pills last year?"

InuYasha snarled. "For the last fucking time, I wasn't trying to kill myself! I was just trying to…"

Experiment? Tempt fate? Feel something for once?

"...Whatever. I don't have to explain myself to you, asshole."

"Hn."

InuYasha ground his teeth in exasperation.

"Shouldn't you be at home with your mate anyway? I'm sure you'd rather spend time with her than hanging out with a depressed half-breed."

Sesshomaru let out a humorless snort as he went to put his plate in the sink.

"I assure you, even your company is preferable to that spector I live with."

He raised an eyebrow to his brother's odd description but said nothing more.

InuYasha knew better than to ask.

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 **A/N:** Another familiar face thrown into the mix. As always, please leave a review. Peace and blessings xxx


	8. Home Alone: Part I

_Sorry Dad,_ she typed not sorry at all, _Sesshomaru took the car so I can't make it out there._

Without further contemplation Akisame hit 'send'. Now, it wasn't as though she didn't want to see her parents… actually that's exactly what it was. She knew that her father wasn't reaching out because he missed her. He just needed someone to deal with her mother so he wouldn't have to.

"Not today Dad," she muttered as she scrolled through Instagram. While it was more than likely that her mother got sad and drank herself to hysterics, it wasn't her problem. Not anymore. Her father can deal with it now.

Was it harsh? Yeah, probably. But so was selling (sorry, she meant marrying off) your daughter to the highest bidder. That's all she ever was, a pawn. While she hadn't minded before, being stranded in the middle of bum-fuck nowhere with the most closed off person in the history of forever gave her a chance to think. And become bitter.

So yeah, fuck them. Fuck her mate too, wherever the hell he is. Not for anything in particular, just because.

Akisame groaned into her pillow. She wished Addamma was here. Then she wouldn't be so alone and angry. She would paint her toenails and take her out for drinks and Snapchat the whole debacle. But the siren just _had_ to find the love of her life and move back to Haiti. If it wasn't for the fact that she was her best friend, Akisame would say fuck her too.

Akisame sighed deeply. Lamenting her life was fun for about 15 minutes but now she was bored. And with the house being spotless and Sesshomaru nowhere in sight, there was nothing to do.

Unless she trudged down the mountain to the hovel that dares calls itself a town. The dark haired inuyokai wrinkled her nose. Towns meant humans and humans meant, well, _humans_. But towns and humans also meant cigarettes.

Mmm, she hasn't had a cigarette since she had gotten married. And that was all the motivation she needed to get out of bed and head out the door.

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 **A/N:** Once again I forgot to post this during my day off. Luckily (and unluckily) I'm off today because of my back, so here you guys go. And unlike other chapters, I am actually going to request that you review. I am not going to hold chapters hostage over them because a) I hate when people do that b) I'm guilty of not really reviewing either and c) I'm really writing this for myself to say that I can actually write things with depth. But I would like to know what you guys think regardless and hear any suggestions that you guys have. So hit me up and as always, I wish you guys peace and blessings.


	9. Home Alone: Part II

Akisame felt good, no, she felt _great_. There she was on the beach, cigarette in one hand, the other flipping off the fishermen that made passes at her. After weeks of playing the 'good mate' it was refreshing to finally be herself.

"Nice tits!" one of the fisherman yelled.

"Thanks! Your wife said the same."

Her rude, crude, unapologetic self.

But of course, she should have known that no good thing can last. Especially for her. But the universe easily reminded her with a quick buzz of her cell phone.

 _Oh no._

Smiling innocuously from the screen was her mother. Akisame couldn't help the feeling of dread that settled in her stomach as her phone continued to vibrate. She didn't want to deal with her mother. She didn't want to hear her mother cry. She didn't want the guilt trip. She should just let it go to voicemail and delete the one her mother would undoubtedly 's what she should do.

However, Akisame had one problem: she could not deny her mother. Directly anyway. Indirectly, like her father's request earlier today for example, she could totally do (because fuck him). But this?

Akisame glared at nothing in particular as (for some godforsaken reason) she picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi baby!"

Her mother's words were slurred and her voice was thick. Akisame fought the urge to growl. Just as she thought, drunk and weepy.

"Hi mom," she said with forced cheerfulness. "How are you?"

Wrong question. Before Akisame could fully lament her poorly chosen words, a sniffle came in on the other line.

"Oh baby," her mother choked out. "Not good."

"Why not?"

Another sniffle.

Akisame tried to keep the exasperation out of her voice when she asked her next question."Mom, have you been drinking again?"

She already knew the answer but she wanted to see if her mother would admit it this time. But of course, all she got was the crying. For a solid _fifteen minutes._ Akisame didn't know whether she should bash her head against a rock or start crying her damn self.

Seriously, why did she put herself through this? She could have easily ignored the phone call. No one can force her to talk to her mother. And with her living hours away, it wasn't as if she would find her mother knocking on her front door demanding her attention. So why do it?

"Have I been a bad mother?" the other woman asked suddenly.

Akisame's face contorted in confusion. "What?"

"Have I been a bad mother?" her mother asked a bit forcefully.

"Mom, of course not. You're a great mother."

Akisame decided against adding 'when you're sober.'

"Then why do my babies keep leaving me?"

And with that Akisame was reminded exactly why she put up with this sad, drunk dog's bullshit. Pity. So she stayed on the phone with platitudes as her mother wept over children lost and chances missed. Two hours later and one calmer/slightly sober inu yokai later, Akisame was left to her own devices once more.

Of course by then her entire mood was ruined and if her mark was anything to go by, Sesshomaru was most likely already home. But before she went home and played her part, she had a text to send to the one person she knew would send her mother her way.

 _To Dad:_

 _You are a sack of shit._

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 ** _A/N:_** Nothing says family more than dysfunction. As always, leave a review if you'd like. I would love to hear what you guys think. Peace and blessing to you all.


	10. Time Bomb

Sesshomaru watched his mate warily as she flitted around the kitchen. Ever since she had returned from wherever she went the other night, she had been acting strange. Well, stranger than usual.

She still put on that infuriating mask of perfection, to be sure. But every once and a while it would drop when she thought he wasn't paying attention. Her expression was always neutral yet he could tell that underneath something dark was brewing. It was like the calm before the storm.

And while Sesshomaru feared nothing even he had to admit that it was starting to get creepy. So he took it out on the only person he could blame.

' _Your taste in women is terrible',_ read the text he sent his mother.

No less than 5 seconds later, he received a response. ' _Is this about Izayoi again? For the last time I had no idea her and your father would run off together.'_

5 seconds later another text came in.

' _You need to stop bringing her up every time InuYasha irritates you. The woman has been dead FOR CENTURIES.'_

' _This isn't about that woman,_ he typed back swiftly. _It's about Akisame.'_

He glanced up at the dark haired woman chopping vegetables furiously and finished his text.

' _I think she may try to murder me.'_

His mother wasted no time to start. ' _She has been stuck up there in the mountains with you for weeks, so I am hardly surprised.'_

' _This is serious haha-ue.'_

' _So am I. Akisame spends all her time with your emotionally constipated ass and isn't even getting some dick to make up for it. I would want to kill you too.'_

Sesshomaru glared down at the phone in his hand. Honestly he should have known better than to expect anything but snark from his mother.

' _Thank you for your help, haha-ue.'_

Sesshomaru threw his phone in the seat next to him. Now he really was for a loss. What was he supposed to do with a possibly homicidal mate? One option was to get her before she got him. Of course it was a terrible plan. Sure, they lived in the middle of nowhere surrounded by an inaccessible forest but she had people who would notice if she was gone. Besides, he's changed a bit (enough where slaughter was no longer his default option).

His second option was to wait until she tried something. This was also a bad idea. Someone didn't get the title of the Bronze Fang just because. It was a title won in blood. That, coupled with the fact Sesshomaru has not done any serious training in decades, makes waiting around foolhardy.

So that left trying to talk to her. Which he could do. He may not be a wordsmith but it couldn't be that hard to have a conversation, right?

Decision made, Sesshomaru walked into the kitchen and called out his mate's name only to instantly regret it once her eyes landed on him.

How can anyone's eyes be that grey? He could literally hear the thunder rumbling and the lightning flashing behind her eyes.

 _Regret,_ he thought suddenly. _I am suddenly full of regret._

His instincts were telling him that he should be ready to head for the hills at the raise of her questioning brow but he never ran from anything. So there he stood, floundering in the kitchen ( _ **his**_ kitchen damn it).

"Are you okay?" she asked.

 _No,_ he thought bitterly. _You actually managed to creep me out and now I will have to sleep with one eye open forever._

Sesshomaru cleared his throat. "Actually I came to see if you needed any help."

A sweet (read: saccharine and eerie) smile graced her face. "Sure, could you rinse the rice for me please?"

Sesshomaru nodded and rushed to grab the rice.

 _Tomorrow. I will get to the bottom of this… tomorrow._

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 **A/N:** Godobo-sama is the troll to end all trolls. Thanks to almondbutter and Chocolover27 for following and reviewing! Also a shout out to my peeps from real life and Tumblr for reading this brain child of mine. Your support has really been appreciated so and it's one of the few incentives for me to update semi-regularly. As always, review and follow at your leisure. Peace and blessings to you always.


	11. Suspicions

"Addamma, I think Sesshomaru is a serial killer."

"Uh, what?"

Okay, fine. I wasn't the most elegant way to start the conversation but what else was she supposed to say? There was no easy way to put it. After he helped her cook a view days ago Sesshomaru began to act strange. Well, stranger than usual. While he was stand-offish before, he had started to lock himself in his office day in and day out. Not to mention he would leave at all times of the day for no reason, like that day for example. But the real nail in the coffin was the blood-stained shirt she found in his hamper that morning when she was separating the laundry.

By then ever red flag that had been raised turned into sirens.

"I'm telling you Addamma, he's a serial killer. Probably the Zodiac Killer. And I may be his next victim."

Akisame could her best friend sigh heavily on the other line. "I would first like to start by saying that this is not the topic I would have chose for our weekly phone call…"

"You did ask me how things are going…"

"...In any case," Addamma continued. "I would like to look at the situation logically. First of all, the Zodiac Killer was in California."

"He could have left California. They had planes in the 60's!"

Addamma continued to ignore Akisame's interjections.

"Second, why would he wait until now to kill you? You have been in the middle of nowhere with Sesshomaru for almost 2 months now. Technically, you should have **been** dead."

"Because I'm on to him now!" she said as she threw clothes in the washer. "He's just biding his time before he strikes. Luckily, I have a plan."

Akisame could literally feel the apprehension and disapproval ooze through the phone.

" _I_ don't think whatever you have planned is a good idea," Addamma said apprehensively.

"It's a great idea."

"It sounds like you may get arrested."

"I'll be fine."

"I won't send any bail money."

"Oh come on!"

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 **A/N:** And it can only go downhill from here. As always, let me know what you guys thought. Peace and Blessings to you all!


	12. A Study in Stupidity

Sesshomaru didn't expect much when he walked into Akisame's room that night to shut off the lamp. Maybe he would wake her up, maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he would make the slightly uncomfortable discovery that she slept in the nude. But one thing he would have never imagined was having a knife hurled at his face with deadly accuracy. Nor was he expecting the dangerous snarl from Akisame's throat. That was quite the surprise.

Of course, Sesshomaru wasn't really one to crack under pressure. Sure, he wasn't the calmest yokai around nor the coolest, but he was somewhat collected. So ignoring his instincts to melt the wretch before him with the Dokkasō, he decided to give the whole talking thing another shot.

"Okay Akisame," he said. "I am going to level with you. There isn't really much to gain by killing me honestly. For one, I have not updated my will in the past 180 years, so all you're entitled to is an elderly two headed dragon and a peach orchard if you're into that sort of thing."

"Also if this is about us not being _intimate_ , you know sexual attraction, desire and arousal are three separate concepts. So it's not completely off the table but we would need to talk about boundaries. Extensively. I have quite a lot. Also, don't get offended if I pull out a book in the middle of it, I tend get bored…"

Akisame shook her head quickly. "W-w-what, _what_?"

"I know. I just wanted to warn you. I didn't warn the last person I did that to and they were quite upset. Granted I didn't think they would notice. I was wearing one of those rings that you put around your… you know what? Nevermind, I don't want to talk about it."

"No!" she shouted. "I mean what the fuck are you talking about?!"

"The reasons that you shouldn't murder me?" Sesshomaru thought he was being clear. He had spoken more words in the past 3 minutes than he had in the past 6 months.

"Murder you? I'm not trying to murder you!"

"You did just throw a knife at my face."

"Only because you were trying to murder me! You serial killer!"

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. He was a lot of things, but a serial killer was not one of them. He tried to explain that to her but she was not easily convinced.

"Oh yeah? If you're not a serial killer, why do you leave randomly? And why did I find blood on your shirt yesterday? And why do you avoid me?"

"One: depressed little brother. Two: I had a taste for venison. Three: You are very, very creepy."

" _Creepy?_ " Akisame whispered to herself.

"So if that is all, I am going to go to bed and pretend that this didn't just happen. I hope you can do the same. By the way, shut off your lamp. You are running up my electric bill."

And with that, Sesshomaru walked out and shut the door behind him. He would save the pages long complaint to his mother for the morning.

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 **A/N:** In conclusion, they are both idiots. Anyway, please leave any comments if you so wish. Also, I made some changes to chapter 4 so it would match up with the content in this chapter. I am not asexual myself so sometimes I get things wrong. But whenever I find out some new information I will change things around accordingly as to not be a dickwad. Finally, I am going to start training for a new job next week so updates may be slow for the next month. As always, Peace and Blessings to you all!


	13. Half-Truths

Painted lids remain closed despite the insistent buzzing of her phone on the nightstand. Tsukiko was more than certain that it was Sesshomaru, whining about something or the other. Honestly, for someone who prides himself in being independent, he sure was needy.

"Another rant there, eh?"

Tsukiko didn't even bother to open her eyes. "I doubt it's a letter of gratitude, that's one thing for sure."

A pretty giggle was heard from the other side of the room. She could only assume that her partner Nanami was in the middle of getting ready for work. She should probably be getting ready herself, but alas, the bed's pull was far too strong. The office was just going to have to run itself today.

"Come on," Nanami said as she walked over to her resting form. "Get up."

"I don't want to," Tsukiko whined.

Kisses were soon being littered across her shoulders as persuasion and while Tsukiko tried her hardest to resist, she couldn't stop herself from sitting up and giving Nanami a proper kiss.

"Crafty jackal," she muttered between kisses.

The brunette only giggled more as she finished getting ready. Seeing as she was already awake, Tsukiko dragged herself to the bathroom.

"Hey grumpy-pants, do you want me to make you some tea before I go?"

"No," said grumpy-pants replied. "I'll make myself some later."

"Okay, I guess I'll be going then. I love you!"

"Love you too!" Tsukiko called back easily as pushed down the tendrils of guilt coiling in her gut.

It wasn't a lie she told herself as she started her shower. It was merely a half-truth. She did love Nanami, she just didn't love Nanami the way she loved her. And while on some levels it was awful of her to keep the truth from her, it was for the best.

Look at what happened with her and Touga for example. Touga was her absolute best friend and she cared for him with her whole heart. She was willing to take wounds for him if need be. But unfortunately, it wasn't enough for him. He needed romantic love too and she couldn't give what she didn't have. So he left, invalidating their 300 year long relationship as he went.

 _I am not getting left again_ , she thought as she lathered her hair.

She was tired of people leaving her. So if lying, sorry, telling half-truths meant that the woman she cared about would stick around, then she would do it.

It was the only way.

* * *

 **A/N:** So Sessmom has made her full appearance finally and with it she brought some conflict. I decided to get this chapter out as I don't know when I will be updating. As always, let me know what you thought. Peace and Blessing to you all.


	14. Losses

"So Taisho-san, how was your week?"

Gold eyes stayed trained on the clock over the therapist's head. InuYasha didn't really understand why Kita even tried anymore. Every time he showed up it's the same thing. He comes in, Kita attempt to get him to talk, the old badger yokai fails, and Inuyasha goes home. It was pointless. But if it kept everyone (and by everyone he means Sesshomaru) off of his back, then he will show up every Wednesday at 3 o'clock until someone gives up.

(All signs are pointing to him)

"Inuyasha, you're going to have to talk to me at some point," Kita said tiredly after some time.

The hanyou did not dignify the remark with even a snort. His eyes remained trained on the clock. 26 minutes down, 34 minutes to go.

"You can't mourn forever."

Inuyasha slid his gaze to the therapist, the pictures on the walls of his family, and back to his therapist again. Had Inuyasha felt it necessary, he would have told off the old bastard.

He would have yelled and spit in his face, screaming 'what do you know?' It is obvious that Kita did not know loss the same way Inuyasha did. Kita still had his mate, Kita had his children, and probably more than a few grandkids. Kita had a legacy and most importantly, Kita had _love_.

Inuyasha did not know what love felt like anymore. It seemed that every time he managed to capture it, it trickled out of his hands like water. First it was his mother. Then it was Kikyo, twice. Then it was Kagome. Then it was his children; Izayoi, Chiyo, and Kozue (he was the first to go). Then it was his grandchildren; Daichi, Habiki, Kaiyo, Mai, Ryo, Aoki, Jiro. Then it was their children. Then it was their children's children. Then it was the next generation. Then it was the generation after that.

It continued that way until 1904 when Inuyasha's last sixth-great-grandchild died. At that point he had had enough. There were too many graves to visit. Too many lanterns to light on Obon.

So he walked out of Miku's wake and never looked back. He was not missed as no one really knew who he was in the first place. By then his existence was chalked up to legend, something to make his now essentially human descendants feel like they were special somehow. Their ancestor Inuyasha, Hanyou Guardian of Edo.

Now, all he had left were some fading memories and a distant brother who is just starting to learn to care. Nothing of note.

"Inuyasha?"

Kita looked concerned and Inuyasha realized he probably had spaced out. Sparing Kita one final glance, he returned his gaze to the clock. Honestly, the bastard needs to give up.

(He was ready to)

* * *

 **A/N:** So I'm back. Sorry about the absence, my life is currently a mess. Luckily, I have kept all my screaming internal and am able to function. Anyway, let me know what you think. And as always Peace and Blessings to you all xxxx.


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